Arizona Diamondbacks and National League manager Torey Lovullo said it wasn’t a particularly difficult decision to hand the ball to Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Paul Skenes for Tuesday’s All-Star Game.
“It was consistently a no-brainer,” Lovullo said, according to Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Skenes is the fifth rookie pitcher to start an All-Star Game and the first since Hideo Nomo in 1995.
The 22-year-old is the first pitcher in MLB history with an ERA under 2.00 and at least 85 strikeouts in his first 11 career starts.
“I just wanted to make sure that the world got a chance to see him,” Lovullo added, per ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez.
Skenes entered the All-Star break with a 6-0 record, a 1.90 ERA, a 0.92 WHIP, and 89 strikeouts across 66 1/3 innings. He tossed seven no-hit innings in his final start of the first half against the Milwaukee Brewers, the second time he’s been removed from a game with a no-hitter going this season.
